1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device that aligns a mast from a hub of a meter base with the penetration point within the soffit of the building to which the meter base is attached.
2. Background of the Prior Art
In a typical electrical configuration of a building, an electrical supply, usually supplied by a municipality or private electrical suppliers is brought to a meter base via an electrical conductor (usually aluminum or copper wire) wherein a meter for detecting electrical usage by the occupants of the building can be measured and charged accordingly. The electrical conductor is brought to the building and then dropped down through a penetration point in the soffit and into the meter base through a mast that is threadably attached to the meter base""s hub. After passing through the meter within the meter base, the electrical supply is brought into the building wherein the electrical supply is used as appropriate. This configuration is simple in design and is very efficient.
The problem with this configuration lies not in the configuration itself, but in the installation process during building construction. In a typical building, the distance between the hub via the mast and the penetration point within the soffit can range anywhere from 6 feet to 20 feet or more. As many single family homes utilize but one electrician for installation of the various electrical systems, the appropriate vertical alignment of the hub/mast with the penetration point in the soffit can prove quite difficult. Although the electrician may attempt to eyeball the alignment, any mistake in alignment judgment will result in the conduit within which the conductor runs, to be askew from the vertical and will be unsightly and may be unacceptable to the building owner.
In order to overcome the problem with vertically aligning the hub/mast with the penetration point within the soffit, the electrician simply employs a second person who positions himself at the soffit proximate the penetration point and hangs a plumb bob in order to properly align the hub/mast with the penetration point within the soffit. Once correctly aligned, a mark is made on the soffit and thereafter a penetration hole is produced. While this method may provide a relatively accurate vertical alignment, it requires the use of a second person whose sole function is to help in the alignment. If this second person lacks further responsibility on the particular job, that person""s use for the alignment process may prove to be economically quite inefficient. Additionally, if a strong wind is present during the alignment attempt, then it may prove difficult, if not impossible to achieve a proper vertical alignment of the hub/mast with the penetration point within the soffit. In such a case, the alignment process is delayed until the wind dies down to a manageable level, further adding to the economic inefficiencies of the alignment process.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a system that allows a single electrician to vertically align a hub of a meter base that receives a mast with the penetration point within the soffit of the building to which the meter base is attached. Such a system must allow the electrician to act alone and must be utilizable even in high wind conditions. Ideally, such a system will be of relatively simple design and construction and will be easy to use and maintain.
The system for aligning a hub/mast with a soffit penetration point and method for using same of the present invention addresses the aforementioned needs in the art. Specifically, the present invention provides a system that allows a single electrician to vertically align a hub of a meter base with the penetration point within the soffit of the building to which the meter base is attached. The system allows the electrician to act alone and is utilizable in all weather conditions including high wind conditions. The system for aligning a hub/mast with a soffit penetration point and method of using same of the present invention is of relatively simple design and construction and is easy to use and maintain.
The system for aligning a hub/mast with a soffit penetration point and method of using same of the present invention is comprised of an insert having an upper section that has a top surface and a first diameter and a lower section that has a bottom surface and a second diameter, the first diameter of the upper section being greater than the second diameter of the lower section. An opening extends into the insert from the top surface along a longitudinal axis of the insert. A laser emitting device is receivable within the opening such that a beam emitted by the laser emitting device extends upwardly from the top surface along the longitudinal axis of the insert. The insert is received within a terminal adapter that is threadably attached to a hub of a meter base which is attached to a building. The laser emitting device, held within the opening of the insert, emits a laser beam that illuminates a proper penetration point on a soffit of the building. The opening within the insert may extend between the top surface and the bottom surface of the insert. The terminal adapter has a top section that has a third diameter and a bottom section that has a fourth diameter that is smaller than the third diameter. The bottom section of the terminal adapter is threadably attached to the hub and the lower section of the insert is received within the bottom section of the terminal adapter and the upper section of the insert is received within the top section of the terminal adapter.